Nantou Old Town, Shenzhen, China
The Nantou Hybrid Building by URBANUS, located in Nantou Old Town, is a hybrid cluster of five individual buildings constructed during different historical periods, showcasing diverse palettes of material, structure, and style, reflecting the town’s rich history and cultural importance as an overlap of a millennia-old town and a vibrant urban village.
URBANUS has done in the past profound research on Nantou’s urban and cultural heritage spanning various historical periods.
Nantou Hybrit Building and its transformation became a project in which the architects applied their concept of, what they call “Urban Coexistence.”
With this project wanted to demonstrate a progressive regeneration approach, focusing on preserving historical layers through collaging and juxtaposition, rather than replacement.
The adaptive reuse design preserves the complexity, contradiction, and conflicts of the existing buildings. Trace of additions and transformations, as well as replacement of materials, has been retained in the repoussé and chasing of both the interior and exterior.
Two new volumes, one rectangular and one curvilinear, one solid and one void, are juxtaposed on the rooftop, with a small roof garden hidden within. The exterior walls of the five buildings not only mark the boundaries of the property of the three owners but also play a significant role in its overall structural integrity.
The design carefully preserves the existing façade while removing partition walls and replacing the haphazard additions that pose a structural risk and a central void was created to accommodate a new elevator and staircase, forming a “circulation core.”
Communal spaces on each level extend outward from the core, puncturing through the façade to create red-iron steel versatile plug-ins that serve as doorways, canopies, balconies, footbridges, and staircases.
Before the renovation, the five building had their own separate circulation system. The street level of the five buildings was packed with shops and stalls, offering a variety of programs and activities to the surrounding public space, and adding to the vibrant urban village lifestyle.
The renovation upholds the compact and vibrant ground floor layout, enhancing it with additional semi-outdoor spaces.
The design meticulously preserves the existing façade’s myriad materials, with selective replacement or supplementation of mosaics and colored paint.
The colorful collage of old and new materials, along with the intricate interlocking, reflects the authentic essence of the Nantou Hybrid Building.
A red semi-circular volume extends from the fourth to the fifth floor, juxtaposed with a green, rectangular volume featuring semi-outdoor spaces, both perched atop the rooftop.
These structures interact with the double-height space and skylights, harmonizing with the roof terrace. This innovative design brings together the previously separated rooftops into a single, tranquil garden, creating an oasis amidst the hustle and bustle of the urban village.
Project: Nantou Hybrid Building
Architects: URBANUS
Lead Architect: Meng Yan
Project Architects: Jiang Qingzhou, Zheng Zhi, and Zhang Chaoxian
Design Team: Rao Enchen, Huang Jiahong, Li Guanda, Zhao Siying, and Wu Xiaopeng
Client: Public Works Bureau of Nanshan District, Shenzhen
Construction Agency: Vanke
Photographers: Zhang Chao and URBANUS
